Customer feedback is the backbone of any business. But when it comes to measuring that feedback, which metric should you use—CSAT or NPS?
While both metrics are incredibly valuable, they serve different purposes. In this article, we’ll break down the difference between CSAT and NPS surveys, helping you develop a strategy that fits your business needs.
Recommended reading: Satisfaction metrics you need to know about
What’s the deal with CSAT?
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) measures how satisfied a customer is with a specific interaction, product, or service. After completing a transaction or interaction, customers are usually asked to rate their experience on a scale, typically from 1 to 5. This makes CSAT an immediate and transactional measure.
Why businesses love CSAT
- It’s specific—you can pinpoint the exact moment in the customer journey where things went right or wrong.
- It provides quick insights—you get real-time feedback, making it easier to act fast.
If you’re looking for a straightforward way to gauge how happy customers are with your service, CSAT is your go-to metric. But keep in mind that it doesn’t measure long-term loyalty, which is where NPS comes into play.
CSAT example
“How satisfied were you with your recent purchase experience?”
Answer scale (1 to 5 scale):
- 1 – Very Dissatisfied
- 2 – Dissatisfied
- 3 – Neutral
- 4 – Satisfied
- 5 – Very Satisfied
Follow-up question (optional): “Please provide any additional feedback to help us improve your shopping experience.”
What about NPS?
The Net Promoter Score (NPS), on the other hand, asks a different kind of question: How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague? The score ranges from -100 to 100 and is determined by subtracting the percentage of detractors (customers who score 0-6) from promoters (those who score 9-10).
Why choose NPS?
- It measures loyalty—not just satisfaction. A high NPS suggests that your customers are happy and willing to advocate for your brand.
- It gives a big-picture view of how your business is performing in terms of long-term customer relationships.
But NPS isn’t as granular as CSAT, so if you’re looking for insights into specific interactions, it might not give you the detailed feedback you need.
NPS example
“On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our service to a friend or colleague?”
Answer scale:
- 0 – Not at all likely
- 10 – Extremely likely
Follow-up question (optional): “What is the primary reason for the score you gave?”
Recommended reading: All you need to know about NPS
CSAT vs NPS – What’s the real difference?
The main difference between CSAT and NPS lies in the type of feedback they provide.
- CSAT measures short-term satisfaction and is more focused on individual experiences.
- NPS measures overall customer loyalty, giving you insights into how likely customers are to stick around and promote your brand.
In simple terms, CSAT is like taking the customer’s pulse after each interaction, while NPS is more like measuring the strength of the long-term relationship.
🤝 Can you use CSAT and NPS together? Absolutely!
Why choose just one when you can leverage both? Using CSAT and NPS in tandem can give you a well-rounded view of your customers’ experiences. With CSAT, you can monitor individual touchpoints and improve specific processes. Meanwhile, NPS can help you track overall customer sentiment and loyalty trends over time.
📅 When to use CSAT vs NPS
- Use CSAT when you want to know how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction. This could be right after a purchase, customer support call, or product demo.
- Use NPS when you want to measure customer loyalty and get a broad view of how your brand is perceived in the market.
🎊 Advantages of combining both
- Granular vs. holistic insights
- CSAT offers granular feedback on individual interactions (e.g., how well a single support call went), while NPS provides holistic insight into a customer’s overall feeling about your brand.
- Identify short-term and long-term improvement areas
- CSAT helps you fix immediate issues with specific processes.
- NPS helps track brand perception over time, helping identify larger patterns affecting customer loyalty.
📝 Example workflow
- CSAT: After resolving a support ticket, the customer is asked:
“How satisfied were you with the resolution of your issue?”
If the CSAT score is low, the company can immediately address that specific support process. - NPS: A month later, the same customer receives an NPS survey:
“How likely are you to recommend our software to a colleague?”
The NPS score reflects whether the company is building long-term loyalty beyond just that one transaction.
🔎Actionable insights
- If CSAT scores are high but NPS is low, it could mean customers are happy with individual touchpoints but don’t see long-term value in the brand. This can signal a need to improve the overall product or experience.
- If NPS is high but CSAT is low, customers are loyal but may be experiencing frustrations with specific interactions. This is an opportunity to fine-tune processes or touchpoints, without worrying about losing customers.
Get started with Simplesat
Whether you’re looking to gather CSAT or NPS feedback, Simplesat has the tools to make it simple. With easy-to-use templates and seamless integrations with platforms like HubSpot, Zendesk, and more, you’ll have all the insights you need at your fingertips.
Not sure where to begin? Check out our resource library for more tips and guides on leveraging customer feedback to grow your business.
About Simplesat: Simplesat is the leading omnichannel survey app designed to enhance customer feedback management across various platforms, including Zendesk. Trusted by businesses worldwide, Simplesat delivers actionable insights that drive business growth and customer satisfaction.
